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On Set Destruction in Filming
"You have the Bridge... what's left of it." ::Star Trek: Voyager, "Year of Hell" ~'Set Destruction' Before we delve into the fiery depths, by definition what is set destruction? On film, a set, by definition, is a scene or iteration of scenes focused solely for the sake of visual performance requiring a considerable expenditure of finances and logistical planning to create an environment suitable to its purpose; an instance of such are miniature scale models, movie properties (i.e props), and on site (or location). The constructs, in depth, are generally physical representations or depictions that preserve similar features of the original and historical accuracy, to an extent, of all critical aspects of said ingenuities. Thus, enabling the absolute esteem of the three dimensional property to demonstrate behavior of the original on film without temperament of the genuine source. Therefore, by using an identical material, the collaborated individuals working on the cinema are able to use the mimic to fulfill its sole purpose of being destroyed, hence set destruction. ~Destructive Purpose The involvements of such constructs are short lived or receive extensive damage (a Chekov Gun) where usually the material is present in the course of the narrative before abolished for the films plot; to grant a large spectacle to the audience and glorify the authencity of that particular scene that is most notably viewed in: Quo Vadis (1951) burning of Rome, Ben-Hur's (1959) sea battle, and The Last Days of Pompeii (1960) volcanic eruption that decimates the city. ~''Quo Vadis'' (1951) ] In Quo Vadis, the scene opens with the mad Emperor Nero atop his palace accompanied by his entourage. In the distance the city burns as Nero dances playing his lyre singing at the top of his lungs at the spectacle before him. The court stands in awe, some in horror as realistic plumes of black smoke rise into the heavens above Rome. ] To accomplish this cinematic feat on film, director LeRoy assembled a scale model of the city of Rome inside a three hundred foot square tank. To aid into the success of this scene LeRoy employed a crew of twenty men to coordinate three hundred alcohol burners were used had to be mixed and piped to various areas of the set as needed for dramatic effect to destroy the model; along with eighteen gasoline burners which sent flares as high as twenty feet into the air.¹ Truly, a “worthy...spectacle, as the spectacle is worthy of" Quo Vadis (Big Screen of Rome, pg. 21, 4th para.) revealing the fiery beauty of Rome seething in red-orange hue, a primary and concluding encounter of an on-set destruction. ~''Ben-Hur'' (1959) ] The techniques utilized during the sea-battle include model boats resembling Roman naval designs with careful attention held to traditional realistic appearance of the ships used in antiquity. A massive three hundred foot water tank was used to depict the open ocean for the battle itself, which was filled with blue chemicals (Big Screen of Rome, pg 73).² ] The scale models captured the illusion of an intense sea-battle as the Roman military and Macedonian pirates engage in naval combat. Fire-balls and ballistae are launched against the opposing factions and ships ram against one another in a fight for survival (Big Screen of Rome, pg 73).² We find Ben-Hur (Charlton Hesston) aboard a Roman ship as a galley slave during the battle, one of the pirate ships rams the Roman galley. The scene is a set filmed from inside the galley’s hull the bow of thepirate ship pierces the roman vessel. The camera tilts to emphasize the impact of the enemy ship, wood splinters and flies about the scene, the roman quarter masters flee as slaves attempt the save themselves from the ocean water which pours through the enormous hole in the side of the ship. ~The Last Days of Pompeii (1960) In The Last Days of Pompeii, the film captures the spectacle of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, where the approach is illustrated: 1) scientifically, a papier mache of Mount Vesuvius to recreate a volcanic eruption needing red food dye, warm water (acts as an accelerator), Bicarbonate of Soda, and Vinegar; ] or 2) ingenuity, using demolitions and a detonator, placing a pile of explosives underneath a mound of dirt, and thus generating a life-like visual of an erupting volcano, depending on the choice or perspective of the directors discretion. The concluding penultimate scene features an earthquake laying Pompeii under siege, the onset destruction is visible as the pumice, ash and collapsed buildings rain down on the people escaping. ~'References' 1.AFI Catalog of Feature Films: http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=50257 2.Cyrino, Monica Silveira. Big Screen Rome. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2005. Print. 3.Blue-ray: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7408/ 4.Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ 5.MovieJourneys: http://www.moviejourneys.com/pompeii/ ::~By Shawn & Brent ::::~The following images are for educaitonal use and full credit to the owners of said images. Category:Technical information